The Problem with Hexagons By D. Ezra Sidran, PhD General-Staff.com Hexagons are ubiquitous in wargames now (indeed, both Philip Sabin’s War: Studying Conflict Through Simulation Games and Peter Perla’s The Art of Wargaming feature hexagons on their book covers), but this wasn’t always the case. My first wargame – the first board wargame for many of us – was Avalon Hill’s original Gettysburg (by the way, $75 seems to be the going price for a copy on eBay these days). No hexagons in Avalon Hill’s original Gettysburg. Remember how the map contained the original starting positions for the Union cavalry and out posts? From author’s collection. The American Kriegsspiel by Captain Livermore (circa 1882) only had a map grid for estimating distances. We also have a map grid in General Staff to facilitate estimating distances but you can turn the map grid on or off. Plate 1 from The American Kriegsspiel by Captain Livermore. This image is from GrogHeads wonderful blog post on Nineteenth Century Military...

Open Panzer PC and Android Computer Game Review. Designed by Nicu Pavel. Based upon Panzer General II. Price 0 – Totally Free! Passed Inspection: great selection of units, works on any platform, tons of scenarios and campaigns, great fun and free Failed Basic: some bugs, some scenarios are completely unbalanced and unwinnable, no multiplayer, needs comprehensive rules, can only play from the German side, no zoom feature NOTE: I played this game on both a PC and on an Android phone thus, the review is based upon that platform. It is also available for iOS systems. Panzer General was a groundbreaking game when it was released in 1994. It was simple, almost a beer and pretzels game, but addictive and fun. Strategic Simulations followed it up with multiple sequels one of which sold in excess of 100,000 units! Sadly, Strategic Simulations is no more but Panzer General lives on and now it’s free thanks to Nicu Pavel. Open Panzer is a multi-platform version of Panzer General. It is...

Command and Colors: Ancients PC Computer Game Review. Publisher GMT Games and Hexwar Games. Based upon Richard Borg’s Board Game. Price $19.99 Passed Inspection: easy to learn, tough to master, excellent game play, great music, nice graphics capture the board game feel, lots of scenarios Failed Basic: no multiplayer, needs more comprehensive rules, some bugs, AI seems to be a little too easy on the players at times, typos in the rule book. NOTE: I played this game on a PC and, thus, the review is based upon that platform. Richard Borg’s Command and Colors is a classic board game system which has been adapted to everything from the ancient world to World War II to the Sengoku Jidai civil war time period of Japan. Now Command and Colors: Ancients has been adapted in to a computer game and it rocks! The game is available on Steam for both the PC and the MAC and the system requirements are as follows: PC MINIMUM: OS: Windows XP SP2+ Memory: 2 MB...

Romance of the Three Kingdoms Part XIII Computer Game Review. Publisher Koei Tecmo Games Co., Ltd. Price $59.99 (available for PC on STEAM) Rick Martin Passed Inspection: Very immersive, excellent graphics, beautiful music and visuals, models almost every aspect of Han Dynasty military and court life. Failed Basic: there is so much in this game that it is difficult to learn even with the training “Hero” mode, needs a complete manual, sometimes crashes Years ago I cut my teeth on the Keoi strategy game series with Romance of the Three Kingdoms and Nobunaga’s Ambition on my Nintendo and then Romance of the Three Kingdoms II and Nobunaga’s Ambition on my Amiga 2000 computer! That would have been around 1989 or 1990. Nobunaga’s Ambition was set in Japan during the Sengoku Jidai (focusing specifically from around 1568 to 1603 AD) while Romance was set in China during the 2nd and 3rd centuries AD. These games were an amazing breath of fresh air and allowed the players to control a province...

Battle Fleet 2: Ground Assault Computer Game Review. Publisher Mythical City Games Price $19.99 (available for PC and Mac) Rick Martin Passed Inspection: Excellent graphics, music and sound, easy to run and play, solo mode or play against others, great value for the money, skirmish and campaign modes Failed Basic: a little too “arcady” for some players, no infantry support, computer AI is a little too accurate with its attacks, sometimes unbalanced in solo mode, too many rare tanks show up too often, at this time only American, British and German tanks are included Back on August 5th of 2014, I reviewed the excellent Battle Fleet 2 which simulates ship to ship combat during the Second World War. The players control one or more ships (from destroyers and frigates to battleships and aircraft carriers) and fight epic sea battles between American and Japanese forces. The player can play head to head against a human opponent or in a campaign mode or against the computer. That game has been upgraded...

D Day at Omaha Beach Computer Game Preview. Publisher: Decision Games Price: $24.95 Rick Martin Passed Inspection: Captures the feel of the board game; nice sound effects, quick to load, takes up very little hard disk space, help screens are nice Failed Basic: Includes two manuals but both are for the board game; one 9 page semi-formatted manual is in folder entitled “Media”; a little back ground musical score would be nice; has some bugs regarding the “landing window” which don’t allow the game to progress; feels like an alpha release; needs more development “It will be the longest day,” said Field Marshal Rommel when he spoke of the D Day landings. Unfortunately, playing this game felt like the “longest day” to me as well. On this anniversary of the D Day landings, we are looking at Decision Games computer version of their wonderful D Day on Omaha Beach board game. While that board game is a classic, the computer game doesn’t make the cut. In D Day at...

John Tiller’s Modern Campaigns Mideast 67 Android Computer Game Review. Publisher John Tiller Software Price $2.99 (also available for PC and Mac at different prices) Rick Martin Passed Inspection: Nice traditional war gaming graphics, good help functions can be accessed on the web, evocative sound effects, accurate units, tons of options, challenging, great value for the price Failed Basic: limited number of scenarios, frustrating time limits on some scenarios, can only play the Israelis on the Android game, no “help labels” for the buttons on top of the screen, no way to take back a move For computer war gamers, John Tiller is a legendary game designer. His games on the PC, Mac and now on the Android platforms have covered all imaginable subjects from ancient battles, the American Civil War, World War I, World War II and modern conflicts; Tiller has a game for every interests. Middle East 67 covers the wars for Israel from 1956 to 1973. You, as the Israelis, must coordinate infantry, armor, artillery, engineers...

KARDS – Computer Game Preview. Publisher: 1939 Games Lead Game Designer: Gudmundur Kristjansson Price: The base game is free but expansion cards will have to be purchased but the exact price has yet to be determined Rick Martin World War 2 themed card games have been few and far between. Two standouts that I played almost all the time many years ago are the fantastic Echelons of Fury and The Last Crusade. During this decade, DVG Games’ Warfighter has breathed life in to the genre and is considered a classic by many. Now, a company out of Reykjavik, Iceland called 1939 Games is developing a World War II themed card game with a twist – the cards are virtual! While I was initially skeptical as I like to hold the cards in my hand – call me “old school”, I have been captivated by KARDS. KARDS is currently undergoing play testing and I have to say, it will be a winner! KARDS is a multi-platform game. It will be...

John Tiller’s Panzer Campaigns Bulge 44 Android Computer Game Review. Publisher John Tiller Software Price $2.99 (also available for PC and Mac at different prices) Rick Martin Passed Inspection: Nice traditional war gaming graphics, good help functions can be accessed on the web, evocative sound effects, accurate units, tons of options, challenging, great value for the price Failed Basic: limited number of scenarios, frustrating time limits on some scenarios, can only play the Germans on the Android game, no “help labels” for the buttons on top of the screen, no way to take back a move For computer war gamers, John Tiller is a legendary game designer. His games on the PC, Mac and now on the Android platforms have covered all imaginable subjects from ancient battles, the American Civil War, World War I, World War II and modern conflicts; Tiller has a game for every interests. Bulge 44 covers those frantic few weeks when the German army initiated its last great offensive in an attempt to cut the...

The Korean War 1950-1953 for the Android Operating System Game Review. Publisher and Designer: Joni Nuutinen Price $3.99 Rick Martin Passed Inspection: detailed play, nice graphics, great AI, fantastic value for the price Failed Basic: too easy to move a unit by mistake and no option to take back a move, solo play only Joni Nuutinen is a Finnish developer of strategy games for the Android system. An overview of his games for the Android Operating System was published back in 2015. http://armchairgeneral.com/conflict-series-android-os-game-review.htm With tensions being so tight on the Korean Peninsula right now, it seems the time is right to look at one of Nuutinen’s newer games – The Korean War 1950-1953. The app size is small and will fit easily on many devices without taking up too much storage space. This app is for Android versions 4.1 or higher. The game is a strategic look at the Korean War. The player controls divisions from the Republic of Korea as well as America and other United Nation Allies...

Combat Mission: Final Blitzkrieg Computer Game Review. Publisher Battle Front Price $60 for Mac and Windows Rick Martin Passed Inspection: Engrossing campaign play, instant battle generator, incredible immersive graphics Failed Basic: battle generator has a few bugs in unpatched state, text too small on anything less then a 20” monitor, campaign games load up slowly even on fast machines The venerable Combat Mission franchise has been providing first class World War 2 and Modern Conflict action since 2000. Originally designed by Charles Moylan as an official Advanced Squad Leader computer game for Avalon Hill, it was picked up by Big Time Software (now known as Battlefront) after the purchase of Avalon Hill by Hasbro. Now with Combat Mission: Final Blitzkrieg, Battlefront has taken their World War 2 system to a whole new level! Combat Mission: Final Blitzkrieg (CMFB) examines the actions of the Allies and Germans during the critical Battle of the Bulge campaign in December of 1944 but play actually covers October 1944 to January 1945. The player...

The 2016 Armchair General Holiday Buyers Guide for Gamers The game reviewers here at Armchair General want to share their top games of 2016. These little gems brought more smiles to our faces in 2016 and helped get our minds off of what was a pretty stress filled year. Full reviews of most of these games can be found on our site but, for some, the full reviews are not done. These are noted as with the words “Full Review Coming Soon” but take it from us, you are being given a sneak preview of the full review. Just don’t tell anyone else ok? It’s just between us. Now here we go! The Grizzled. This came out in 2015, but the expansion was released this year. Simple, elegant, artful, easy to set up and play. Comrades not included in the box, but who doesn’t like a game that you can bring your friends over for the enjoyment of their company! Wings of Glory. We love airplanes and aviation. So...

Armchair General and OBD Software are working together to give away the main Wings Over Flanders Fields software plus expansions 2 and 3! All you have to do is leave a comment below as to why you would like to win Over Flanders Fields and on or about September 6th, 2016 we will randomly select one person from the comments to win this amazing flight simulator! This prize package is worth over $60.00! Good luck and keep the dirty side down! For a video of this simulator in action, click below: title=”Wings Over Flanders Fields...

By Rick Martin Publisher: OBD Software Games Price $39.99 Passed Inspection: Completely immersive, control over difficulty levels, amazing graphics, realistic flight models and AI, more flyable aircrafts than any other WW 1 flight simulator Failed Basic: No multiplayer OBD Software continues to expand on its award winning World War I flight simulator Wings Over Flanders Fields with this 3rd expansion to their simulator. For a complete review of the game and its first two expansions, see: http://armchairgeneral.com/wings-over-flanders-fields-pc-game-review.htm While many enjoy playing the graphically gorgeous but solitaire impaired Rise of Flight, Wings Over Flanders Fields (WoFF) gives the players a fully immersive world to play around with. Covering from 1915 to 1918, WoFF with this 3rd expansion now features 83 different aircrafts including trainers, scouts, two seaters and heavy bombers — Nieuports and Fokker Eindeckers to Albatroses, Be2cs, Se5as, Gothas, Zepplins and Spads Oh My! WoFF 3 is not just a flight simulator but a fully crafted dynamic World War I environment with role playing elements in that you can track...

Ravenmark – Scourge of Estellion PC Game Review. Publisher: Witching Hour Studio Price $14.99 (STEAM) Passed Inspection: Detailed fully developed fantasy world. Easy to use tactical combat controls. Excellent tutorials and reference materials. FUN!!! Failed Basic: A little too easy for units to disengage from combat. Witching Hour Studio of Singapore has released a classic fantasy war game with the STEAM release of their new game Ravenmark – Scourge of Estellion! This game is a follow up to Witching Hour’s Ravenmark Mercenaries multi-player war game from 2013 but it expands that game with a much stronger narrative element and excellent AI. The recommended system requirements for Ravenmark – Scourge of Estellion are as follows: OS: Windows XP SP2+ / Vista / 7 / 8 Processor: Intel P4/AMD Athlon XP or better Memory: 1 GB RAM Graphics: Open GL 1.5 Compatible Graphic Card DirectX: Version 9.0c Storage: 732 MB available space On first glance, Ravenmark – Scourge of Estellion reminds me of a mix between “Game of Thrones” and the...

Heroes of Normandy PC Game Review. Publisher: Slitherine Price $24.89 (STEAM) Passed Inspection: Great conversion from board game. Easy to learn. Fun. Excellent graphics and sound. Humorous game play. Failed Basic: More beer and pretzels than a serious war game. Scope is limited. Good dice rolls can make or break your plan too often. Tutorial can be confusing. Line of site seems a little wonky. Heroes of Normandy is based upon the extremely popular beer and pretzels board war game of the same name. The theme of the game is that the players are thrown in to the European Theater of World War II but with a twist, all the characters, missions and situations are based on Hollywood’s version of World War II as exhibited in their huge budget war films of the 1960s and 70s. Therefore, you play with caricatures of Clint Eastwood, Lee Marvin, Sir Peter O’Toole, Donald Sutherland and other great war film actors. The computer game simulates the board game down to the use of...

Battle of the Bulge PC Game Review. Publisher: Shenandoah Studio Price $9.99 Passed Inspection: Fun fast play which is easy to learn but challenging to master. Great sound affects and music. Atmospheric. Great value for the price. Failed Basic: Unrealistic combat results. Too simplistic at times. At times very frustrating. Shenandoah Studios has delved in to the last great German offensive of World War II with their new treatment of The Battle of the Bulge. Available on Steam for the price of $9.99, this strategy game is a great value for the money. The system requirements are: Windows® XP/Vista/7/8 or 10. Pentium 4 or equivalent 2Gb RAM 512Mb DirectX 9 video card with shader model 2.0 CD ROM Drive (not required for the digital version) DirectX Compatible Sound Card Focusing on the December, 1944 battle, award winning game designer John Butterfield’s design is both opulently atmospheric and streamlined minimalistic. Each unit is a division, brigade or regiment and each turn is several hours of each day of the battle. ...

The graphics and sound are still spartan, but this is all to the good, as an Inferno player is likely more interested in the realistic and intense game play than lots of explosions and fireworks on the screen.

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Armchair General is the INTERACTIVE history magazine where YOU COMMAND and decide the course of action!

Every issue brings you articles on military history, analysis of current military and political events, and stories of real heroes among us today. Our authors include leading historians and analysts who lend integrity and credibility to this fresh presentation of historical and contemporary events. PLUS each issue contains unique interactive articles based on actual historical events in which YOU are the commander who must choose the best course of action for victory!